-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker passed away recently . Although he was known for many things , Baker 's most enduring moment came in the middle of the Watergate scandal , when he asked : `` What did the president know and when did he know it ? ''

The scandal happened 40 years ago . It started with a break-in at the Democratic headquarters in Washington , D.C. and it was followed with subsequent efforts to obstruct an investigation into whether the White House had been involved .

In July 1974 , the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that the White House had to turn over recorded presidential conversations to the investigators . The House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the three articles of impeachment , charging President Richard Nixon with obstruction of justice .

The Watergate scandal had a devastating effect on American politics . In his riveting forthcoming book , `` The Invisible Bridge , '' Rick Perlstein skillfully recounts the era that was shaped by the scandal and the way in which the sordid activities of the Nixon administration unfolded on a day-by-day basis .

Each revelation gave voters another reason not to trust their elected officials and to believe the worst arguments that people made about government . Americans could never look at government the same way again .

The scandal continues to reverberate today throughout the political spectrum . We still live in the era of Watergate .

For Democrats , who many thought would have been the beneficiaries of a scandal that brought down a Republican president , the level of distrust that the scandal generated among the public has been an ongoing challenge .

At the most basic level , Democrats argue that the federal government offers the best solution to the problems of the day . But if the public does not trust its elected officials , Democrats are left in a position of having to constantly defend the legitimacy of the institutions of government and to convince voters that bureaucrats really will do their job .

The intense skepticism surrounding the Affordable Care Act , Benghazi and the Internal Revenue Service scandal have revealed how easy it is for opponents of government to stoke these kinds of fears .

Republicans have suffered too , even after the party separated itself from Nixon as its figurehead . The truth is that Republicans promote government as well , just for different reasons . Their programs have , likewise , been subject to constant scrutiny as a result of the lingering distrust from Watergate .

For conservatives , national security programs have been a centerpiece of their agenda . Republicans have pushed for expanding the military budget and since 9/11 many have called for an aggressive response to terrorism that includes sweeping surveillance programs and enhanced interrogation techniques .

Revelations about what government officials do without public accountability -- such as torture or snooping into e-mails -- have deepened public distrust and created strong pushbacks .

Politicians in both parties must operate in a political environment filled with investigations , or accusations of another scandal looming with the suffix `` gate '' attached to it . Whenever some kind of scandal breaks , it does n't take long for the story to escalate and for questions to arise as to whether this will end up as big as Watergate .

Often , this outlook has salutary effects by encouraging politicians to make sure that similar levels of corruption do n't happen again .

But , too often , as many would say has been the case with the IRS , stories of administrative mismanagement are blown out of proportion , consuming Washington 's time and taking their attention away from major problems .

The worst effect of Watergate is that it created a climate where Americans fundamentally do n't trust their government . It is one thing to be suspicious , another to reject altogether . Recent approval ratings for Congress tanked to 7 % and for the President 29 % . This is part of the broader trend we have seen since the 1960s .

It is extremely difficult for government to do its job or for voters to have the kind of faith in government , which is necessary for a healthy society .

When Howard Baker asked his famous question , his hope was not to disparage government but to make it better . He wanted to find the corruption , to seek the reform so that government could do its job once again . Unfortunately , the kind of faith that Baker had in government never returned .

To really banish the memories of Watergate and set the government on a better course , reforming politics is the most important solution .

Improving our campaign finance system by curbing the influence of private money and imposing stronger restrictions on lobbying , such as the revolving door between the government and lobbying groups , is an essential first start .

Until we take those kinds of steps , voters will always be seeing the shadow of Richard Nixon when they look at their elected leaders .

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Julian Zelizer : The Watergate scandal had a devastating effect on American politics

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We still live in the era of Watergate , the scandal still reverberates today

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He says current politics is filled with accusations , scandals with the suffix `` gate ''

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Watergate created a climate where Americans do n't really trust government